Summer Breeze
by TheFallenOne77
Summary: With dreams of becoming a Huntsmen, Sora McCloud is given the chance to fulfill his dream and soon becomes friends with a certain silver eyed Huntress. After breaking her heart without an explanation, he moves forward and achieves his dream. But when they cross paths after many years, she's overjoyed. Only one problem, he's trying to push her away.


My name is Sora McCloud. Before I became a renowned Huntsman, before I came into wealth and gain connections with high officials and underground guilds. Before any of that, I was just a simple, timid boy who came from poverty.

I was very easy to forget; my eyes were blue and my hair was white. People still managed to forget who I was even though we just spoke a few seconds ago.

Vacuo was my home, and it was there that my elder brother, Conner, and twin sisters Mavis and Layla raised me. My parents died when I was only a month old, so they filled as the parental figures.

My brother, the oldest of us all, was a young aspiring inventor, who wanted nothing more than to see his works help the people of Remnant. He had amazing ideas; I loved it when he showed me his work.

Mavis and Layla had a love of writing, and perused it with a passion, testing most of their pieces on me as bed time stories. They were vivid and always left me wanting more; I actually own a few of their books to this day.

I didn't go to school since neither of my siblings could make the trip and get me, so I was home schooled for a while, but I felt as if I was nothing but a burden onto them.

Whenever I had a problem or was picked on by other kids, they were there to pick up the pieces. I felt pathetic that I didn't have the nerve to fight back or say something.

Conner got badly hurt once for telling him off, which resulted in the boy's father assaulting him. That was something I couldn't get over; he got hurt defending me and all he did was smile and say it okay as long as I wasn't hurt.

Guilt was all I felt when he said that. I didn't show it to him, just hug him and cry into his shoulder. This wasn't how I wanted to live my life; for once, I wanted to be the one to fight.

As if answering my plea, I saw a man that was responsible for helping me find what it is I wanted to be, and how I could be stronger. They were dressed in a grey dress shirt, black slacks, and dress shoes.

Their hair was a black with some white in it to show his age and a tattered red cape that gave the impression that they've been on many adventures and had some stories to tell.

The man in question had managed to hold everyone in awe; branding a massive red and black scythe. The way he managed to move it with such precision without hurting himself was utterly amazing.

It showed that he had years to master this way of fighting, but I couldn't really fathom the idea of using such an unconventional and unorthodox weapon in battle.

From that day on, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to aspire to be like that man, to be strong and amazing as he was, to be a great Huntsman.

There wasn't a moment that I didn't think about being like them; there were even times where I watched the tournaments being held in the other kingdoms. I must've spent hours standing outside the shop window watching the TV on display.

As I got older, I found out I actually lived near a Huntsman academy. I felt like an idiot for not knowing that since I live here.

The place was massive and filled to the brim with kids who have amazing gifts and powerful weapons. I didn't actually step foot on the grounds for fear I'd get into trouble with the headmaster, so I just watched from afar.

Every day, at the same time, I would watch and admire them; the future protectors of Remnant. By some twist of fate, my like was soon intertwined with three other individuals.

"Hey kid, what are you doing standing there?" My attention was now on a green haired boy who walked with two others. All looked a year older than me at the time.

Being timid didn't really help my situation; they probably thought I was thinking they were going to mug me. The way I acted was pretty funny now that I look back on it.

Every nerve in my body urged me to run but I couldn't; I was a deer caught in the headlights.

"Um…are you alright there, lad?" asked the red haired boy who was the tallest among them.

"Are you okay, you look like you're about to have a panic attack," said the boy with blue hair. He was around my height, but still had a few centimeters on me.

"I-I…I'm S-So…I'M SORA!" I shouted, making them step back in surprise. I wished someone would've killed me on the spot; I made a fool of myself and wouldn't live it down.

I had expected them to make fun of me, but you wouldn't believe the surprise on my face when I heard them say it was nice to meet me. It was almost unreal.

I soon learned their names: Parker Flare was the red head, Roy Quartz was the green haired one, and Walter Mist was blue.

We got to talking and they soon asked me why I stand here every day. "I like this place; to be so close to real Huntsman and Huntresses in training is amazing," I said.

"Then why don't you attend here if you want to be like them?" Walter asked.

"I'm poor; my brother and sisters had to teach me what they could. So there isn't a chance that I would last long here anyway. Plus, I don't know how to fight like they can," I explained.

Even though I wanted to become a monster slayer, I had zero to no fighting skills. Contradicting I know, but one can hope.

"Then why don't we teach you?" asked Parker.

From that point on, I learned under my new friends, well, they were the only friends that I've ever made but I count that as a win.

Despite the fact that I couldn't attend the academy myself, it was still good to learn what they did and they even let me borrow their books so that I could brush up on some subjects.

I learned as much as I could; the creatures of Grimm, Dust, Aura and Semblance. Not to mention that I also was taught basic training, mainly sword fighting.

That was what I excelled at the most.

What was the most memorable moment I'll never forget was the moment they unlocked my Aura. The power that suddenly awoke was unbelievable; it felt like a piece of me that I hadn't realized was missing had just made me whole.

My Aura, unlike others, was colorless but I could still see it. If one were to look closely, it looked similar to when heat radiates off asphalt and makes it sway like a trick of the eye.

Other than that, when it was released it looked as if a kinetic pulse went off. The area where it was released looked as if something tore the area apart. No one was hurt but it was still a shock.

It didn't take long for the academy to take notice of the work that the others were giving me, and had accidently turned it in. They called my house and wanted to talk about the issue.

When they came over, I had expected them to tell me off and that I was in trouble but it was quite the opposite actually.

As it would turn out, they were very impressed, and asked if I wanted to take the entrance test to see if I could pass.

I wanted to, I really did but before I could give an answer, a thought came to me. Passing the test would mean that I would have to leave Vacuo, and my family.

Not to mention that I would be gone for four years in another kingdom that I've never to before.

"Go for it Sora; if this is what you want, then you should do it. Don't let us stop you," Conner encouraged.

"You want to be a hero, right? Then do it little brother; be more than this," Mavis said, getting a nod of agreement from Layla.

That was all I needed to hear. I spent the next day taking the test and somehow scored a perfect grade. I know right, shocker to me too.

Even though I did well, I still needed to leave home, which wasn't exactly easy. Some many tears shed from my siblings; I was leaving the only home I've ever known.

"I'll write as much as I can, and I'll work hard to be a great Huntsman. My name will echo throughout the kingdoms before you know you it," I said, trying to lift their spirits.

"We'll cheer you on from here Sora; good luck," Layla said.

After one last hug goodbye, I boarded the train heading to Vale. You wouldn't believe the look on my face when I saw Parker, Roy and Walter walk into the same cart I was in.

It was good to know that my friends were going to be coming with me to Vale, and they were just as energetic as I was but I didn't show it much.

"I hear that the headmaster assigns teams of four; what say you chaps, feel like keep this gang of ragamuffins together?" Parker asked.

"Hell yeah; not sense splitting the group up once we get there. We'll raise all sorts of hell together," Walter said.

"That is if we get put on the same team. We don't know how the teams get put together; for all we know it could be random," Roy said.

Walter then proceeded to crack wise and call Roy a buzzkill. I couldn't help but laugh and it felt good to, but I did hope that we get put on the same team; I don't want to have to meet other people and who I probably won't even work well with.

After three days on the train, finally made it into Vale and soon found our way into Beacon Academy. The place massive and breathtaking, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake.

"Looks like this is where our new lives begin gentlemen. Get ready for a life of adventure," Roy said.

He wasn't far off mind you. After orientation was where we had to go through the Emerald Forest via platform launcher to find some sort of relic.

Since I hadn't forged a weapon yet, the school provided me a sword to use for the time being, it wasn't much but I was still grateful to them.

Cutting a long story short, I got Walter as my partner and we found the other soon enough and both picked the King chest pieces.

Getting back, we held our heads up high with pride when the headmaster named us Team SPRW, [Sparrow], with me as it lead despite me being the youngest of the group.

It wasn't until after two weeks had passed that I had seen something that made my heart stop, or rather _someone_ really.

I only caught sight of them for a moment, but it was still so clear in my mind. A girl with red and black hair, slightly pale complexion, sliver eyes and a red hood.

To me, the world seemed to stop all at once. I don't know how long I was looking, but when she was out of sight I could hear my friends yelling to get my attention.

"Huh; what just happened?" I said.

"You spaced out for a good five minutes; what were you looking at?" Roy asked.

They didn't go easy on me when I told them I was looking at a girl. They encouraged me to try and talk to her, but it was asking a bit much from me; I freak out whenever Oobleck asks me a question.

All I was able to do was admire from afar, knowing that a girl like that wouldn't give the time of day or just think I was weird because of my timid nature.

It wasn't a few months had gone by that I got my chance to talk to her. My team and I were in the lunch room when I suddenly heard something crash to the floor.

Following the noise, I saw the silver eyed girl had just dropped her desert on the floor. She looked so crestfallen it was unbearable. She couldn't go back to replace it since the kitchen was already closed.

Looking down at my tray, I saw that I still hadn't eaten mine; a few chocolate chip cookies I was going to save for later. It wasn't much but I was something atleast.

Taking this as my Leap of Faith, I went over and tapped her shoulder. The way she looked at me was a clear sign that she was still grieving at the loss of her cake; she must love sweets.

"Hey, um…I saw what happened just now, so I thought maybe this would help you feel better; I'm not that hungry anyway," I said.

She just looked at them and didn't say a word. I hadn't prepared for anything else after that so I just decided to go before I made a fool of myself further.

That changed however when I felt a tug on my sleeve and saw that she was the one who stopped me.

"Wait, you're really giving these to me?" she asked.

All I could do was nod at her since I was at a loss of words and couldn't form any at the moment.

"Thanks; my name is Ruby by the way. Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY," she exclaimed proudly.

"Wow, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." Her cheeks went flush suddenly and I realized that I just said my thoughts aloud.

When she started chuckling I thought it was because I looked stupid, but the way she smiled made me think otherwise.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Sora McCloud, leader of Team SPRW," I said, though not as dramatic as she did.

"Lunch hasn't ended yet; want to sit with me and help with these cookies; they taste better if you eat them with someone?" she asked.

Again, I was at a loss for words and just made some unusual sound that couldn't pass for any kind of speech. Ruby just chuckled and took my hand, leading me out of the lunch room.

"Wait, where are we going to?" I asked.

"You'll see, just come on." I didn't argue about it and just let her drag me to the student dorms building.

We took a seat against the wall and she gave me half of the cookies. I almost couldn't believe what was happening right now, it almost felt surreal.

Seeing her eat was like watching a little girl; cute and nothing more. I was only eating my second one when I looked back and saw that she was already done; I blinked and it was over.

Ruby took that as her opportunity to ask me a series of questions. She wanted to know why I was here and why I wanted to be a Huntsman in the first place.

I told her what I could in the simplest way possible, but when I told her of who was the reason I wanted to be a Huntsman, she looked as if she knew who I was talking about.

"Wait, that sounds a lot like my uncle Qrow. Wait, is this what he looks like?" she asked, pulling out her Scroll and showing me a picture of the very same man I saw when I was a kid.

"Y-Yes, that him, the scythe wielder; he's really your uncle?" I asked, astonished.

"Yup; he's actually a teacher back at Signal and he taught how to use my scythe."

Wow, she's amazing. From that point onward, Ruby made it a habit to spend her free time hanging out with me. It was nice; the more time we spent the more we grew to accustom to the others company.

Whenever teams we required to do missions as their assignment, we'd wish each other luck and when we get back we'd be happy to see one another and tell the other about the quest.

There were times when Ruby came to see my team have practice matches for the Tournament; it always warmed my heart to see her cheering me on from the seats.

A whole year had gone by since the two of us had met and we were close as two friends could be, but I knew now was my moment of truth. I had managed to finally tell Ruby how I felt about her.

I was just going to lay my cards on the table and go for broke. If she doesn't feel the same, then I'll leave her alone.

Finding her room was easy; I've been there once before. Gripped tight in my hand was a letter that I needed to give to her, one that I've rewritten numerous times already.

Knocking light, I wasn't sure if anyone could've heard it. When the door opened, I expected to see her, but instead I was met by her older sister, Yang Xiao Long.

Peeking over shoulder, I didn't Ruby anywhere, only her friends Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee.

"Um…hey, what's up; need something?" Yang asked.

"Sorry, just looking for your sister is all. I guess she's not here, so I'll come back another time," I said.

Before I could leave, Yang had slung her arm around my shoulders and held me close her body.

"Aw, come on; are we not good enough? You've got three cute girls here and you're just leaving?" She didn't give me time to respond when she dragged me into her room.

I felt on the spot at the moment; I did know of Ruby's friends but we weren't really acquainted with each other, but I still said hello.

"So why do you need to see my little sister anyway; are you a friend of hers?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, we are. I just needed to give her something is all," I said.

"Is it this?" The letter was snatched from my hand faster than I could process what happened.

"Yang, if that was meant for Ruby than you shouldn't be reading it," Blake said.

Atleast she was on my side, but it didn't seem to be enough when she tried to get it from her, which resulted in a game of keep away that she was losing.

"What the hell is this?" Blake suddenly stopped when hearing that and got a chill that ran down my spine.

Yang turned to me and grabbed me by my jacket and pinned me to the wall. I didn't know what was happening at the moment but the way Yang's eyes suddenly red, she was mad about something.

"Were you really here to give her this?" she asked, holding it up to my face before it burst into flames. "In it you say that you love her, but is that really the case, or is she just a means to an end for you?"

"N-No, it not like that. I would never-" The air was knocked out of me when she punched me in the stomach and letting me go to hit the floor.

"Yang, stop it; that's going too far!" Weiss shouted.

"STAY OUT OF IT!"

When I tried to get up, she kicked me in ribs to keep me down. I didn't really understand why she so was mad at me; was Yang actually against me liking her sister?

"Listen good kid because I won't repeat myself. Stay away from Ruby; I won't let her get hurt or let you get in the way of her becoming a Huntress. Do yourself a favor, and stay away or else."

Why did this happen, why am I suddenly the enemy here? All I wanted was to speak to Ruby, yet somehow I ended up getting assaulted by her sister.

Something snapped in me; I don't know what it was but at the moment I felt such anger and hatred to the point where I clenched my hand hard enough to draw blood.

I don't know what it was the rest of them were discussing but I managed to get their attention when I stood and coughed up some blood, but I didn't care in slightest.

"Fine; you want me to stay away from her, then I will. You don't have to worry about me ruining your sister's life," I said.

"And don't say anything about this either," she added.

Trust me, I won't. Leaving, I was limped through the halls to try and make it to my room. Shame and anger was all I felt. There were plenty of moments where I could've fought back but didn't.

In the end, I'm just a coward like always.

"Hey Sora!" her familiar voice reached my ears and unsettling feeling settled within my chest. Why now, after what's happened.

Ruby made it over to me thanks to her speed, but when looking at the damage that was done she went into a panic.

"What happened, who did this to you?" she asked.

I know this was going to be wrong to do, but I had no other choice. I couldn't just ignore her for the next three years. It's best to just sever ties with her now and be done with it.

Pushing her hand away, I tried to limp past her but she was persistent.

"Sora, what's wrong; please talk to me," she said, getting more worried.

"It's none of your damn business. Just leave me alone," I said, catching her off guard.

She didn't seem to process what happened properly and grabbed me by the arm lightly. Her silver eyes started to shine, clear signs that there were tears beginning to form.

"If there's something bothering you, you can always tell me; we're best friends, aren't we?" she asked; desperation was evident now.

It felt like my heart was breaking after hearing that; God, why are you making me do this; what have I done to deserve this?

I was so tempted to tell her everything that happened between me and Yang, how she threatened me to stay away from her, but that would more than likely end with the two being on bad terms.

Not to mention that if Yang were to know, she'd be after me and if we were to fight, I'd hurt her for sure if pushed far enough and Ruby would hate me for it. There is no way for me to win here.

"No, we're not; I don't want to be friends with you anymore. Don't ever talk to me again," I said, doing my hardest to hide my grief.

"NO!" I jumped at sound of her shouting. Her hands suddenly gripped my face so that I was forced to look at her devastated expression.

"You look me in the eyes and say that."

Mind you, I've always admired how stubborn she gets when she puts her mind to something but she was starting to get angry. Why couldn't she just let this go?

Fine, then I'll just have to bring it up a notch.

"I don't want to be friends with you anymore. I don't want you in my life; you're nothing more than a brat that is starting to become a nuisance. Hell, I wouldn't be surprise that after graduation, you turn up dead on your real mission," I said, completely stone faced.

Those words tasted like poison in my mouth and I wished I could take them back and tell her I was sorry, but it's too late for that; the damage is done.

Ruby's hands fell at her side just before the floodgates let her tears loose. I almost expected her to hit me but it never came. All she did was run past me without a word. Once I knew she was out of sight, I let myself cry.

I didn't want this, I didn't want to hurt her but I needed to. Who the hell was I kidding anyway; Ruby was better off without some loser like me. I'm more pathetic than Jaune, and that's coming from me.

I don't know what she did after that day, but I know that it wasn't my concern anymore. Over next three years, I changed.

Training was all that I did in my free time, from just before dawn, to the dead of night. Even when my body screamed in agony for me to stop and rest, I didn't listen, not even when I almost blacked out from the pain.

None of that mattered to me; pain was a small sacrifice that needed to be made if I was to be stronger, even more so when I made myself endured it to the point where I forced my Semblance out.

In some messed up way, cutting my ties with Ruby was probably the best thing I did. I hated that notion because of how true it was. It was true but I didn't have to like it.

Despite my training, I was still able to put Team SPRW to the top. We completed missions, that would take others weeks, in only a few days.

When the school had us do mock battles, we always managed to turn the tide to our favor and be the ones left standing.

Those three years flew past me faster than I had expected them to, but it was all worth it in the end when the four of us graduated with honors.

Connor, Layla and Mavis came out to see my team for the ceremony. They were so proud to when they saw me, not to mention surprise.

That scrawny kid who left Vacuo was replaced by a Huntsman. During that time though, I did manage to catch a glimpse of Ruby with her family.

They seemed happy to any other person, but looking closely at the silver eyed Huntress, I could see something was missing. No, more like broken; yeah, that seemed right.

She didn't notice me looking, but her sister did. Yang actually seemed surprised, almost like she remembered something important and made her way over to me.

I don't know why though, I had no intention to talk with her.

"Hey Sora, can you hold up a minute. I need to talk to you real quick," she said, stopping me.

That didn't end so well for her when I pushed her back and reached for my sword. If Walter and the others hadn't stopped my hand from drawing it, Yang's head would've met the ground.

Once they let me go after cooling off, I left without another word. I had set out into the world to make my name renowned.

Fighting Grimm, taking down corrupt rulers, even joining underground guilds and organizations was more than I could ask for. Always being on the road doing missions did make me homesick.

My siblings managed to be successful in their fields; Layla and Mavis published their works and gained popularity in young adult stories.

Conner actually made a breakthrough with his inventions; he actually helped me design my sword Eagle Talon, a four foot, double-edged broad sword. It's actually what led to his success.

What made it so unique was that there was a wheel where the blade meets the guard. Inside was a titanium wire that went through the blade.

The blade actually came apart to make a bladed whip so that I can attack at a distance. There was also an ice Dust crystal that was the pommel so that I can make an ice blade.

Eight years had passed me by and I was currently sitting a quest bureau in Atlas. It was outside the kingdom's main city and in a trading town near their port.

I sat at a table and drank a mug of ale quietly. I was dressed in white shirt with a durable, but flexible breastplate. Grey jeans with grieves, bracers on my arms and cloak with a high collar that hid my face and stopped mid-shin.

Pinned to the left side of my chest was a silver clasp in the shape of a pair of wings; it was the emblem I chose to bear when I discovered my Semblance, plus it keeps my cloak on. I thought it was appropriate.

This was the only down time that I had and I was using it to wait to be called by the one who owns this bureau to accept an assignment about some work that needed to be done in Mistral.

For the first time in a while, I felt at peace and just let my body relax.

"Maybe after this I head back to Vale and take respite for a bit," I said to myself.

"Sounds like a plan, I think I'll join you." Looking behind me, I caught sight of the last two people I'd expect to see here.

Blake Belladonna, leader of the White Fang Counter Taskforce and Chairwoman of the Faunus Equal Rights Association. To put it simply, she's been busy since graduation.

She was dressed in a black and white long sleeve button-up, leather gloves, black pants and heel, which I'll never understand as to how she fights in. Hanging at her side was not her Gambol Shroud, but instead a black katana which she dubbed Umbra Cantet.

Her cat ears were exposed; the ribbon she used to cover them was given to me as gift and was wrapped around my left wrist. We did a mission together three years back, one that actually made us closer.

I kind of took a blade to the chest for her from this prick named Adam Taurus, someone she used to work with back when she was in the White Fang.

He didn't take too kindly to the notion that Blake had sided with humans too well and labeled her a traitor to her own kind.

I could've killed him, but Blake pleaded me not to, so I substituted with beating him until he was unconscious before I passed out from blood loss.

When waking up in the hospital, I found Blake cuddling me while I slept. As it would turn out, I sort of imprinted on her, sort of like animals. Basically, we were 'kin folk', in a way.

Standing next to her was the Heiress to the largest conglomerate of Dust distribution in Remnant, not to mention had a major influence in the Atlas military since she supplies them with most of their ammunition. It was none other than Weiss Schnee.

Weiss was dressed very professional; white button-up with white skirt. She had a white coat with her family crest on the back and hanging from her side was her Rapier Angelum Lucis.

I had done a few jobs for her family a few years back. Hire security work to be exact; there was a large shipment of Dust that needed to be transported to the other kingdoms.

Things kind of went south when we found out that some of the workers were planning to hijack the shipment for themselves and sell it for a profit. That is until I stopped it.

The Schnee family wanted to reward me for helping them, but was caught off guard when I told them that I didn't want anything.

When they asked why, I simply told them I was just repaying a debt to Weiss from a long time ago. She understood what I implied and was grateful for it; we kept in touch after that and I help her out when she needs it.

"Hey, wasn't expecting to see you two here of all places. Come here, bring it in," I said, getting a hug from Blake and a peck on the cheek from Weiss.

"We may have other duties to attend to but we're still Huntresses. We can't let our skills dull so we do assignments from time to time," Weiss explained.

I'd expected Blake's line of work to keep her busy with the White Fang in all, but to hear that she needed to go on missions to keep her skills sharp was surprising.

I was going to ask them what jobs they were taking on until I felt someone tap my shoulder. I thought it was the owner who was ready to talk to me but when I saw who it was, my body froze.

It was a girl with blonde hair and violet eyes, dressed in a brown biker jacket, yellow tank top, faded jeans and leather boots.

"Hey Sora; long time no see," said none other than Yang Xiao Long.

I don't know what else she said since my ears were filled with white noise. Too many things happened all at once for people to what was going on.

I tackled her with the full force of my body. Yang hit the wall so hard that her body made a crater in the wall. I held her there with my arm to her throat and my free hand reaching for my sword.

"Wait, if this is about what happened back at Beacon then I get why you're mad. What I did was wrong, I know that; I'm sorry, let me try to make up for it," she said, trying to convince me.

"You're sorry? That doesn't even begin to make up for what you did and what you made me do. I'll savor taking your head as my trophy," I said.

Just when I was about to draw my sword if Blake hadn't intervened; she stood next to me and just lightly put her hand on mine.

Blake's expression was calm and solid. Though it didn't seem like much, I could sense what it was she was doing. Think of it as a sort of empathy link; we didn't need to say anything to convey our point. All Faunus have it as it would turn out.

My grip on Yang was loosened and she slid to the floor, "Be grateful she was here to save you," I said to her.

Before I could sit back down, my name was called by the owner and I headed upstairs to speak with them, in a tiny office that was cluttered and could really benefit if someone opened a window.

Sitting behind the desk was a short man who was trying to pull off a comb over. Assignments like these needed to be handled by people like him, mainly because regular Huntsman wouldn't touch do sort of work.

"Sorry that took so long McCloud, just wrapping things up with another client. Now, let's get down to business; you want the scouting assignment in Minstrel," he said.

The assignment was to go into the wilderness and find what's been killing wondering tribes of Nomads. Many have speculated that they were Grimm attacks, but other evidence says different.

Considering how much the pay is, the likelihood of death was almost guaranteed. That wasn't going to stop me though, not like anything has anyway.

"Yeah, I want to leave as soon as possible so can I get the approval for the contract?" I said impatiently.

He looked nervous for a second before giving me a straight answer.

"Well, you see, here's the thing. The assignment was originally supposed to be a two man job, but since you were the only one who accepted it, it was a sure thing you'd get it."

I was starting to get agitated; if he was telling me that he couldn't give me the job then I was going to be very upset.

He seemed to pick up on that when his paperwork suddenly started spiraling around the room.

"B-But as it would turn out, there was someone else who took on the mission as well; that means you'll have a partner on this one. You can come in now."

The door opened and I couldn't believe who was standing there; dressed in a dark red dress shirt with a black corset, black pants, black heels with red laces and red tattered hood.

Their red and black hair reached down their back and was braided with a small ponytail. Silver eyes that looked at me; familiarity began to shine within them and smile graced their lips.

"Sora!" they exclaimed with excitement.

"Ruby," was all I was able to say as she came into the small, already cramped room and stand next to my chair.

She was a year younger than me, so she would be 27 years old. Even I have to admit that she looks stunning after eleven years.

"Good, you two are acquainted with each other; no doubt you'll work well together on this assig-"

He stopped short when I stood from my seat suddenly and headed for the door. "Give her the job, I don't want it anymore."

That was all I said before walking out, Ruby calling out to me as I did so. I did my best to block her out; we must've caused quite the scene in front of everyone there, even Weiss, Blake and Yang were still here to see it.

Grabbing my pack, I was about to head leave the bureau when there was a sudden wind and burst of rose petals swirled around me and I was blinded for a moment.

Once it cleared, Ruby was standing in front of me, blocking the door and looked on the verge of tears. This was just like what happened before; why was the world making me relive this again?

"Eleven years, eleven long years and this is what you do the moment we see each other again?" she asked.

"What's it to you; not like it's your business what I do," I said, avoiding her eyes.

"Please Sora," she said, closing the space between us. "I've spent too long wondering why you said those things back at Beacon; I thought I did something to make you hate me but I don't know what. Please tell me what it is I did to you."

I wanted to back away, but there were too many people in the way. I wanted to shove past her and make a run for it, but she would catch me in short time it would take me to walk two steps.

Was this my chance to tell her the truth of why I was so cold to her, was I finally catching a break for once?

No, I haven't the right to try and atone for what I did. In the end, it was my own fault for not sticking up for myself when I should've and she was better off without me.

"You're not at fault Ruby." We turned to look over at Blake and see her grab Yang's head, without even looking, who was trying to sneak away.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked desperately.

"Ruby, he doesn't hate you because you did something. Sora did what he did because Yang threatened him to do so when she found out he was in love with you," she said.

"BLAKE!" I shouted, trying to get her to stop, but she just kept going.

"He was going to tell you that day, really he was. You don't know how much it broke him to have to say those things; he truly does love you, even now when he's denying it, he's just too proud to admit it."

You could really feel the tension in the air now. I wanted to hide my shame, no, I wish someone would run me through with my Eagle Talon.

I half expected Ruby to be pissed and somehow make me out to be the bad guy in the situation. There was a sudden sensation around my abdomen and against my back. Ruby was hugging me from behind.

"I guess you and I are the same then," she said. "I love you too Sora."

I should've felt happy hearing that; joy, excitement, relief. None of those things were present, nothing was. My chest started to hurt but I didn't feel regret, I just felt hollow.

This wasn't right; I couldn't accept her feelings. It's not like I could just forget everything and act like nothing happened?

It was because of what happened that made me strong; I didn't have any attachments slowing me down and I made it this far in my career as a Huntsman.

No doubt she was famed in our right and I couldn't risk her losing everything because of me, she deserved better than me and if I had to push her away for that to happen, fine.

Loosening her grip on me, I walked away from her. It started to hurt with every step, but I pushed through it until I was out the door.

* * *

Ruby felt conflicted by what happened. Sora just left without another word to her, not even responding to her confession.

She felt as if her heart might break again. _'No, I won't let this be like last time. I will make this right.'_

She turned to Blake, who let go of Yang's head from her vice grip.

"Blake, thanks for telling me; I know what I need to do," she said confidently. "But first I need to take care of something."

Ruby walked over to her sister, who was just regaining her composure from almost having her head crushed.

"Oh Yang," Ruby whispered, making her flinch.

Yang turn around slowly to face her sister, fearing what she would do to her after knowing what she was keeping from her for eleven years.

"Um, now Ruby need to understand. I was just looking out for you, and it got a little out of hand; I was just trying to protect you but I hadn't realized that you actually liked him that much. I'm so sorry," she said, fully backed into the wall.

Ruby just stared at her with a blank expression, not so much as saying a word to her and just waited for her to finished speaking. A smile soon spread on her lip, catching her off guard.

"Don't worry about that Yang," she said sweetly.

"W-Wait, so you're not mad?" she asked, uneasy.

"Oh, I never said that," Ruby said, still smiling. "Mad doesn't even begin to describe what it is I'm feeling right now."

When she started to crack her knuckles was when Yang feared for the worst. She loved her sister but she wasn't going to fight her.

"Blake, Weiss; little help here?" she called out to her friends, only to see them at the bar drinking wine.

"Time for a little tough love sis," Ruby said.

* * *

I only managed to make it a few yards away from the bureau before I suddenly heard the sound of what I assumed was a fight breaking out between its current occupants.

Not sure whether or not I wanted to go back and see what was the cause of it, mainly because I didn't want to face Ruby again.

The more distance I cover, the less likely I'll run into her again; things were better that way.

"Looks like I need to find another contract to do, or maybe I could head back to Vacuo for a quick visit to my siblings," I said to myself.

"SORA, WAIT!" I stopped short in my tracks and turned to see and out of breath Ruby, who looked ready to pass out at any moment.

Looking closely at her hands, I could see that they were bruised and hastily wiped of blood. Guess she got into a skirmish herself.

"What do you want Rose?" I said bluntly.

"I…I want you to…be my partner for the contract," she said in between breaths.

Again, that was something I always admired about her; woman was stubborn and saw things through when she put her mind to it.

Though this was probably not one of those times considering the circumstances between us. She knew how I felt, and probably still do now that I think about it, but things were different now.

I turned and started to walk. "Find someone else to be your partner; I'm not interested in the contract anymore," I said.

Ruby bolted in front of me again via her Semblance, but that seemed to take a lot out of her considering she was already tired from something else.

"But there isn't anyone else I trust to go with me," she said, getting closer to me.

Even after all this time she manages to make me flustered; it's not like that with other girls, just with her.

"If you come with me, I'll pull my own weight, and I'll listen to what you say; please say you'll join me," she said.

"Look even if I agreed, which I'm not, I don't feel like sharing the reward, it's why I work alone most of the time," I said.

"You can have it all, I didn't want it anyway." She put her hands together in pleading gesture to try and sway me.

I'll admit, it was cute to see that look, but I still had my reservations about doing this. Giving the strain that's between us, I could already see the complication that would come with partnering with her.

On the other hand, I do get the money from this assignment when it's all over. Damn it.

" _*sign*_ , I expect you to pull your own weight and listen to what I say, to every last detail, understand?" I said, emphasizing the last part to her.

The look on her face was sheer surprise, one that quickly turned in joy. She bolted at me and I got knocked to the ground with her hugging me tight.

"Thank you Sora; I swear, you won't regret this," she said.

"I'm sure I will somewhere down the line. I guess I should head back and sign the contract for the partnership," I said.

Ruby sat up but was still on top of me; if anyone were to see us now, they'd think we were doing something indecent. She pulled the contract and held it in front of me.

There, written at the bottom, was my signature. I looked back and forth between it and her.

"You forged my signature; how the hell did you do that?" I asked.

"It wasn't that hard, and I prepared for this moment. I knew I'd be able to convince," she said proudly, though I don't think she actually knows that she just committed forgery.

Still, clever girl, I'll give her that much. Getting up, the two of us started down the road toward the port. Ruby seemed happy; for the first time, she looked alive again.

I don't what's going to happen on this assignment, or what'll happen between me and Ruby. All I know is that it's just another job and couldn't let myself lose sight of my objective.

 **Chapter 1 of 4**

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